Tarnos - La Digue Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, it’s Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you about Tarnos - La Digue. This is a beach/jetty setup that’s exposed to the west, and honestly, looking at the next 16 days, it’s a tough stretch. The swell is small and the winds are mostly messy, so we’re working with a lot of flat-to-poor conditions. The water is running at 75°, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, so at least you won’t be cold while you’re waiting for a wave.

The first few days are a write-off. Monday the 10th through to Tuesday the 12th morning, we’ve got tiny 2ft to 2ft swell from the northwest with a short 8-9 second period. The wind is onshore or cross-onshore, making it choppy and ugly. The wave energy is weak, with readings around 63-88 (weak energy). Not worth paddling out for.

Wednesday the 12th morning offers a small glimmer: the wind goes glassy with a light NNE breeze, and the swell is still tiny at 2ft from the NW, period 8 seconds. The surf is ‘surfable but very ordinary’. It’s a beginner-level wave, but the combined energy is only 69 (weak energy). For a total beginner, you could get a few soft ones, but it’s not a standout.

The rest of the first week through the 17th stays poor. Winds are mostly cross-on or onshore, swell stays under 3ft, and periods are short. The 15th of August afternoon sees a slight bump to 3ft from the NW with a period of 7 seconds, but the energy is still weak at 129 (moderate energy) and the wind is cross-onshore. It’s a no-go.

The second week doesn’t get much better. The 18th and 19th have glassy mornings, but the swell is tiny (2ft) and the period is a weak 6-7 seconds. Energy is super low, 38-50 (weak energy). Then on the 20th of August morning, we finally get a bit of clean surf: offshore wind from the east at 3 mph, swell 2ft from the NW with a 10-second period, giving a moderate energy of 129. The report says ‘surfable but very ordinary.’ It’s clean, but the size is still small.

The 21st of August morning is another glassy moment with an offshore 3ft NW swell, period 9 seconds, energy 125 (moderate). Again, clean but small. The 22nd morning is glassy with 2ft from the WNW, period 8 seconds, energy 70 (weak). Not a game-changer.

The 23rd of August afternoon sees a pickup in wind—onshore at 16 mph with a 3ft NW swell, period 9 seconds, energy 206 (moderate). The wind is onshore and strong, so it’s blown out. Then on the 24th of August morning, the swell jumps to 5ft from the NW, period 10 seconds, with a combined energy of 520 (strong wave energy). That’s the biggest swell of the window, but the wind is cross-onshore at 9 mph, making it choppy. The report says ‘marginal surf forecast.’ For a beginner, 5ft is getting too big, and the chop makes it messy. For a stronger paddler, it’s not clean.

The 25th of August morning is the best on offer: glassy with a light NNW breeze, 3ft from the NW, period 8 seconds, energy 196 (moderate). The report says ‘surfable but very ordinary.’ It’s the most rideable day, but it’s still small and a bit weak.

The only standout in this whole 16-day window is the 24th of August morning for the size—5ft from the NW—but the cross-onshore wind ruins it. If you’re a kiter, that afternoon with 5ft and onshore wind might be fun, but for paddle surfing, it’s a miss. The 25th morning is the cleanest, but tiny.

Overall, a long stretch of nothing. The consistency is *fairly consistent* here, so it doesn’t usually stay this poor for this long, but this run is a dud. Don’t hold your breath.

Rusty.

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